The Empress Caroline

The Patricia Emerald

The “Patricia Emerald,” discovered in Colombia in 1920 and named after the mine owner’s daughter, is a 632-carat (4.46 oz) uncut emerald. It resides in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

The Mogul Mughal Emerald

The “Mogul Mughal Emerald,” a 217.80-carat (1.54 oz) carved emerald, was sold at Christie’s for $2.2 million in 2001. It now resides in the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar.

More of the World’s Largest Emeralds

The Bahia Emerald

TheBahia Emeraldis an 840 lb. stone discovered in Bahia, Brazil, in 2001. This stone reportedly contains over 180,000 carats of emeralds (approximately 79.38 lb.), including the largest single shard of emerald ever found, described as“the size of a man’s thigh”. The events and personalities involved with this gemstone since its discovery have inspired much speculation, andits ownership is currently in dispute.

The LKA and Stephenson Emeralds

When the “LKA Emerald” was unearthed in 1984 in the Hiddenite area of North Carolina, it was considered the largest intact emerald found in North America. At 1,686.3 carats, it currently ranks as the 2nd largest. The name “LKA” comes from the company that owned the mine at the time. The “Stephenson Emerald,” found in the same region in 1969, weighs 1,438 cts. It, too, was considered the largest North American emerald until the discovery of the LKA emerald. This stone was named after John A. D. Stephenson, a 19th century researcher of Hiddenite area gems. Both of these gems were displayed in the American Museum of Natural History in the 1990s and are currently for sale.

About the authorJeffery Bergman, SSEF, SGC
Jeffery Bergman, SSEF, SGC, founder and director of Primagem in Thailand, is an American gem dealer with more than 40 years of experience in gemstone and fine jewelry mining, cutting, wholesaling and retailing. His career has taken him to more than 50 countries and every continent except Antarctica. He has appeared on the BBC, CNN, NBC, ABC and GEO; and has been featured in Time, USA Today, National Geographic, Gems & Gemology and Discovery Channel magazine. He is a regular guest speaker at gem lab seminars and gemological association conferences and universities.
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